Firefigher/paramedic Andrew Ward with the Greenfield Fire Territory recently gave an ambulance tour.
Submitted photo
HANCOCK COUNTY – Chit-chatting with families surrounded by bounce houses and free hot dogs might just be the best part of the job for local public safety officials.
This summer, communities across Hancock County have hosted events featuring local police and fire officials mingling with children and letting them sit in their trucks and ask questions. While community events with public safety officials have been going on for years, the advancement of social media have made them increasingly popular. Local police and fire personnel say they can’t get enough of the bright-eyed excitement and innocent questions of children.
“Their excitement at the end of the day re-generates why we do our job,” said Greenfield Police Chief Brian Hartman. “We see a lot of the bad – 90 percent of things we see every day are negative behavior, and when you get that opportunity to spend an hour carefree with those kids, it is therapeutic.”
Hartman said the GPD not only participated in Community Night in July, but also gives regular tours of the department; hands out candy at Trunk or Treat events in the fall; and interacts with children in schools. One of his favorite memories was visiting Bradley Preschool in downtown Greenfield this spring
“Definitely interacting with the kids, no matter where it is, is probably the best part of the job,” Hartman said. “(The preschoolers) had honest, good quality questions because they’re curious, and if you feed curious minds and give them the knowledge they need, that helps them grow.”
It humanizes the badge to interact with children at community events, Hartman said, and hopefully that will make them more likely to approach an officer if they’re ever in need of help.
The most recent community event hosted by police in Hancock County was Aug. 4, where the McCordsville Police Department welcomed at least 200 children and their families with bounce houses and activities. Another community event is coming up Aug. 26 in Cumberland, featuring touch-a-truck exhibits, a police agility course for children and more.
Aaron Watts, sergeant of the McCordsville Police Department, said they want to make sure people know police officers are approachable. A father of two young children himself, Watts said the three-hour event in McCordsville earlier this month was a good time for all. Food donations came from Meijer, and participants were asked to bring pet food to donate to Hancock County Animal Management.
“We like to have that different environment for the community – instead of making it where we’re called to someone’s house for a traumatic event or something negative, we wanted to turn it around to something positive and there’s no agenda, no work that an officer needs to do,” he said. “Just communicate with them, answer questions, show them what we’re here about and that we’re here for the community.”
The Greenfield Fire Territory gives tours of its station frequently, and also travels to community events and schools to talk about fire safety. A common demonstration, said Public Information Officer Luke Eichholtz, is putting on a fire suit in front of children so they can see what it looks like and hear the firefighter’s voice. Children realize while firefighters may look different with their suit on, they are there to protect them in an emergency.
“They know we’re people just like them and they can trust us, and we’re not somebody they need to be afraid of,” Eiccholtz said.
He agreed that interacting with families at community events is probably one of the best parts of the job.
“There’s a lot we see and do that aren’t a lot of fun, but if we go and show the kids or trucks and see their smiles, it reminds us of why we wanted to be firemen when we grew up,” he said.
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At a glance
Police and fire departments across Hancock County have been hosting community events for families. The town of Cumberland and its police department will host a Community Day from 3-6 p.m. Aug. 26 in the green space behind town hall.
The event will feature a free cookout, touch-a-truck exhibit, community partners tables, a police agility course for children, and a residents vs. police kickball tournament at 5:30 p.m. Live music will also be throughout the day, as part of the Blues, Beer and BBQ series. For more, visit town.cumberland.in.us.
